January 11, 2008 – France’s Minister of State and Sports, Bernard Laporte, called for the UCI and the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) yesterday to find a compromise to their conflicts reports AFP. ASO organizes many sporting events, including the Tour de France and the Paris-Dakar car rally. Laporte met with both current UCI president, Pat McQuaid, and his predecessor, Hein Verbruggen and a source close to the minister indicated that Laporte is not taking sides, but rather is defending the interests of French cyclists and the heritage of the Tour de France.

The UCI recently threatened to exclude French cyclists from competing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in August unless the conflicts are resolved and the Minister reportedly indicated to the UCI that this was unacceptable.

Laporte is due to meet with ASO president, Patrice Clerc, on Friday to discuss the Paris-Dakar Rally which has been cancelled in 2008 due to terrorist threats. Presumably they will also discuss the conflict pitting the UCI against the ASO. One of the main sticking points is the ASO’s insistence on deciding which teams take part in the next TdF whereas the UCI demands that all ProTour teams be allowed to start.

To read the complete article in French, click here.